The present invention relates to plush, toy characters and their use as a sleep enhancer toy and headrest pillow and movable recreational members, such as story books or puppets, inserted therein.
It is desirable to use toy character dolls and storybooks to help a young child fall asleep comfortably.
The background art does include plush toy characters, such as teddy bears, which sometimes also function as headrest pillows. For example, Oriental Trading Company of Omaha, Nebr., in its 1998 Easter Catalog #154A describes a product entitled BEDTIME BUDDIES which are hollow pillow cases with an animal character head and animal limbs attached at peripheral edges thereof. Conventional pillows are inserted within the pillow cases to fill out the hollow pillow cases and then simulate a three dimensional animal doll which also functions as a headrest pillow. Auxiliary puppets are removable attachable to an exterior portion of one of the limbs by VELCRO(copyright) or other attachments. However, the BEDTIME BUDDIES are pillowcases, not orthopedically correct headrests themselves, nor are they character dolls having pivotable members therein, such as pivotable headrest pillows and/or pivotable soft puppet theater showcases therein.
Among background art patents includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,157 of Story for a pillow case with animal or character appendages, such as similar to the above noted BEDTIME BUDDIES pillow case dolls.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,934 of Bachnick describes a bed spread with an attached animal head in one corner thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,528 of Lamle discloses a head rest pillow with an integral outer cover which turns inside out to reveal padding in animal shaped paddings. When in use as a headrest pillow, the animal shaped paddings are folded inside the integral outer cover.
Another transformable pillow is noted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,763,369 and 4,670,924, both of Spector, which each includes a conventional pillow having the head and body of an animal character superimposed thereon, wherein removable drawstrings are provided to constrict the pillow below the head portion to simulate a neck thereat, and below a waist portion to simulate a hip portion thereat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,457 of Sweet describes a pillow having semi-circular limbs extending therefrom, which, together with a character face superimposed upon the pillow itself, form a character doll against which a user, such as a child, may rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,656 of Godinet describes a bed and mattress formed of a plurality of puzzle like intersecting pillows portions in the shape of animals, wherein the animals can be separately removed to act as plaything toys.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,117 of Bridges discloses a pillow with a loose pouch for partial insertion of the head of a user therein to reduce light to the eyes and to increase warmth to the sinus area, for therapeutic enhancement of sleep.
U.S. Pat. No. Design D256,414 of Rich describes an ornamental stuffed pillow with a horse head attached thereto and U.S. Pat. No. Design D341,979 of Peters describes a combined blanket with attached pillow portion and pouch attached thereto.
Other related patents include U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,507 of Cruz for a tooth fairy kit which includes a pillowcase with a sewn-in pouch for insertion of a tooth and reward therein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,204 of Keeton for a method of making a compressed foam article, such as a character doll or pillow, U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,916 of Saxton for a food tray for a bed ridden person wherein the tray is supported beneath by a pillow, U.S. Pat. No. Design D329,566 of Davidson for a grid shaped pillow, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,703 and U.S. Pat. No. Design D364,986 both of Launder for an orthopedically correct pillow with a depressed head support portion and a plurality of compressible fins underneath.
Furthermore, some storybooks for young children are made of fabric, so that they will be cuddly and soft when held by a young child. However, these fabric based storybooks are not provided as part of an orthopedically correct headrest pillow as part of a plush character toy, nor are they hidden within a pouch, so that a young child can learn that important objects can be temporarily stored and put away after use, and then retrieved at a later appropriate time.
However, none of the background art publications or patents describe a character pillow with anthropomorphic facial and limb features wherein the pillow opens up to reveal either a pivotable pillow or puppet theater showcase, or both.
It is an object of the present invention to use toy character dolls and storybooks to help a young child fall asleep comfortably.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide plush toy characters which also function as headrest pillows, wherein the plush toy character pillows have a depressible head rest portion to accommodate the head and neck of a child user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide plush toy characters as orthopedically correct headrest pillows.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a storybook for young children which are cuddly and soft when held by a young child.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a storybook or puppet theater hidden within a pouch of a plush character toy, so that a young child can learn that important objects can be temporarily stored and put away after use, and then retrieved at a later appropriate time.
It is yet another embodiment to improve over the disadvantages of the background art.
In keeping with these objects and others which may become apparent, the present invention relates to dual purpose plush, toy characters which are used as both a sleep enhancer toy and headrest pillow. Preferably, the combined plush character headrest pillow includes an openable pouch with manually movable recreational members, such as storybooks or puppets, inserted therein. The plush toy character dolls and storybooks help a young child fall asleep comfortably.
The pillow may be already stuffed with soft supportive material, or it may be a hollow pillowcase, to be stuffed by pillow material.
In one optional embodiment, the plush character toy can be provided in a sitting up position, so that when the headrest pillow is kept within the pouch in an unpivoted position of non-use, the posture of the plush character toy in an upright seated position functions as a bolster for a partially seated reclining child, or for a child in a prone position.
Optionally, the plush character toy may also be provided as an elongate amphibian type of animal, such as a funny lizard or worm, wherein a concave spinal portion of the lizard or worm functions as an orthopedically correct pillow headrest. In such a case, the head of the elongate amphibian type of animal may optionally function as pedestal support for a storybook or other recreational accessory for the child in its habits of falling asleep comfortably.
By the term orthopedically correct, it is referred to as a pillow having a correct depressible head and neck portion within a pillow body, to distinguish from the incidental use of a soft doll as a pillow, which may not have a correct depressible portion therein.
The plush toy characters of the present invention, such as teddy bears, are orthopedically designed wherein pivotable pillow portions are provided within the abdomen portions of the plush character toy, so that when pivoted outward and down they also function as a headrest pillows between soft cuddly limbs, such as arms and legs, of the plush character toy. These soft cuddly limbs can be grasped by the arms of a sleeping child, for comfort and security.
The puppets and storybooks for young children are preferably cuddly and soft when held by a young child. And are preferably hidden within a pouch within the abdomen portion of the plush character toy, so that a young child can learn that important objects can be temporarily stored and put away after use, and then retrieved at a later appropriate time.
The puppets may be provided within a hollow portion within the plush character toy, so that after the pillow portion is pivoted down, a further puppet stage set with a pop up type landscape or fantasy scene is erected by spring action upon a base portion of the puppet stage set. Thereafter, the child can insert his or her hand within an open proximal end of an attached sleeve portion, wherein at a distal end thereof there are provided the puppet portion, such as a plurality of finger puppets or a single hand puppet. Optionally, the puppet stage may be removable from the character pillow.
The plush character toy is preferably made of a soft cuddly fabric, with a soft interior such as foam. On its outside the exterior of the animal may include a soft artificial fur or felt type fabric exterior, with optional exaggerated anthrpomorphic features, such as faces, eyes, a smiling mouth, and soft but slightly firm limbs.
Optionally, the dual purpose plush character toy pillow headrest may be attached to an animation motor to move parts thereof, or to an audio component to play back recorded audio segments, such as portions of an appropriate story.